Posted 3 November 2016 by
Keith OsborneA frequent high-flyer in many national quality of life surveys, the North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate has status as one of the north of England’s most desirable places to live and can stand shoulder to shoulder with competition around the country.
Even with all its history, and its generous collection of listed heritage buildings, it’s not a town that is standing still and currently offers a huge range of brand new properties for sale. Some convert or taken inspiration from the older properties hereabouts, while others take on a more modern approach to design. For those with a generous budget of half-a-million pounds or more, there’s a great choice on the market.
The town is a major commercial centre, with a great deal of income generated from tourism and the conference/events sector, and is also popular due to its easy access to other major towns and cities by road (Ripon 25 minutes, Leeds 35 minutes, York 45 minutes, M1 18 minutes) and rail to Leeds, York and Knaresborough. It is major shopping and cultural centre in the region, bringing in many visitors year-round.
Harrogate is also renowned for its excellent schools, both state and independent, with its High School, Grammar School and Ashville College among its best known. These, together with excellent leisure facilities and proximity to countryside and a number of designated protected areas such as the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, make the area particularly attractive to family homebuyers.
Whether upgrading to accommodate the needs of a growing family, or to enjoy high-quality living having downsized from a larger property, the range of new property for house-hunters on a generous budget in and around Harrogate is significant.
New homes currently for sale in Harrogate:
Redrow is offering a range of traditionally designed properties at Devonshire Gardens, north-east of the town centre, and the four- and five-bedroom house types currently start at £564,950, so Help to Buy can still be used on some of them. The open land of The Stray is only minutes away, perfect for families who enjoy the outdoor lifestyle, with easy access to all the main shops and local schools.
Chene Hall is a development taking shape on the southern edge of the pre-Norman rural village of Killinghall from Miller Homes. This mix of two- and three-storey homes with four or five bedrooms is just three miles from the centre of Harrogate itself, with good connections to local towns and villages. Part exchange is an option, with some homes also coming with turf, flooring and upgraded finishes included in the price.
The top-end properties at Bellway’s Dalesway, located between Killinghall and Harrogate, just meet our top-end price point, especially if you’re upgrading to some of the finishes and fittings available. Help to Buy is available on all properties here, including the largest four-bedroom homes. A number of high-quality schools are close by, raising the appeal for family buyers.
Some of Linden Homes’ most prestigious house types are for sale at Sussex Court, to the west of town, just past Valley Gardens. There’s current a mix of impressive, detached and semi-detached four-bedroom homes inspired by Arts & Crafts designs, which complement the nearby Duchy Estate architecture. Expect generous room sizes and a top build and interiors specification. Prices start at £995,000.
Around five miles from Harrogate, at the fringe of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is Grange Park, where a David Wilson Homes collection of four- and five-bedroom houses will delight buyers looking for a larger property. The top-of-the-range, five-bedroom ‘Gilthorpe’, from £719,995, is set out over two floors. The impressive hallway leads to a study, lounge, dining room and the hub of the home, a sizeable kitchen/breakfast/family room with additional utility room. Upstairs, two of the bedrooms have an en suite, with the master bedroom also boasting a dressing area.
A contrast in styles, though not in quality, can be found at The Old Police station, where there is a mix of conversion properties in the Grade II listed building plus a complementary selection of new builds. There are apartments and houses to choose from, all of which offer individuality as well as the shared benefit of secure parking and use of landscaped, gated grounds. The development is currently being marketed by Carter Jonas, with prices on application.
Developer Zammitt is building just five exclusive homes at Fulwith Mill. There are many options for buyers to choose from to personalise their homes, making them unquestionably bespoke, with floor space ranging from 4,000 sq ft to 8,000 sq ft and prices from around £1.5m to £2.5m, depending on the details demanded. The homes are on the southern outskirts of Harrogate with convenient access to the town centre and motorway.
A new scheme has just been announced to convert one of the town’s best-known period properties into a dozen luxury apartments. Pineheath with see many features restored and retained while provising residents with a thoroughly modern interior specification, with the first residents scheduled for moving in in 2018. As well as their individual properties, owners will have communal facilities such as a library, billiard room and gym.